Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-07-01
THE WEARING OF STAYS.
A Pernlcious Habit which Transform
Graceful Girls Into Dumpy Figures.

A Pernlcious Habit which Transform
Graceful Girls Into Dumpy Figures.
Women, especially those of the up
per classes, who are not obliged to keep
themselves in condition by work, lose,
after middle age, sometimes earlier, a
considerable amount of their height,
not by STOPPING, as men do, but by
actual collapse, sinking down-mainly
to be attributed to the perishing of the
muscles that support the frame in con-
sequence of habitual and constant
pressure of stays and dependence upon
the artificial support by them afforded.
Every girl who wears stays that press
upon these muscles and restrict the
free development of the fibers that
form them, relieving them from their
natural duties of supporting the spine,
indeed, incapacitating them from so
doing, may feel sure she is preparing
herself to be a dumpy woman. A
great pity! Failure of health among
women when the vigor of youth passes
away is but too patent and but too
commonly caused by this practice.
Let the man who admires the piece
of pipe that does duty for the
human body, picture to himself
the wasted form and scanned skin.
Most women, from long custom Of
wearing these stays, are really un-
aware how much they are hampered
and restricted. A girl of twenty, in
tended by nature to be one of her
finest specimens, grayely assures one
that her stays are not tight, being ex-
actly the same size rs those SHE was
first put into, not pcrceiying her con-
demnation in the fact that she has
grown five inches in height and two in
shoulder breadth. Her stays are not
too tight, because the constant pressure
has prevented the natural development
of the heart and lung space. The
dainty waists of the posts is precisely
that flexible slimness that is destroyed
by stays. The form resulting from
them is not slim, but piece of pipe
and as inAexible. But, while en-
deavoring to make clear the outrage
upon practical good sense and sense of
beauty, it is necessary to understand
and admit the whole state of the case.
The reason, if not necessity, for
some sort of corset, may be found
when the form is very redundant; this
however, can not be with the
very young and slight, but all that
necessity could demand and that prac-
teal good sense and fitness would con-
cede, could be found in a strong elastic
kind of jersey, sufficiently strong. and
even stiff. under the bust to support it,
and sufficiently elastic at the sides
and back to injure no organs and inn
pcde no functions. Even in the case
of the young and slight an elastic band
under the false ribs would not be in
furious, but perhaps the contrary.
serving as n constant hint to keep the
chest we'll forward and the shoulders
back. but every stiff. unyielding ma
chine, crushing the ribs and destroy
ing the fiber of muscle, will be fatal to
health. TO freedom of movement, and
to beauty; il is scarcely too much to say
that the wearing of such amounts TO
stupidity in those who do not know
the consequences Qor over and over
again warning has been given) and to
wiokodness in those who do,--gieve-
lsad Lsederi .---.,